Tie 'nothing to be excited about': These Browns want more
So this was ... what, exactly, for the Cleveland Browns? A 21-21 comeback tie against their perennial tormenters from Pittsburgh. A better result, objectively, than any they've had since Christmas Eve 2016. How many teams came out of Week 1 assured of a better record than they had last year? Just one, folks. Your Cleveland Browns.
"This is nothing to be excited about," said Browns receiver Josh Gordon, whose only catch of the day was a game-tying 17-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 58 seconds left in regulation. "We're not celebrating this. We're here to win games. It's the equivalent of a loss, to me."nfl nike jerseys for cheap
But for a while, at least, it had the feel of something more. For one tantalizing hour, after Steelers running back James Conner fumbled with a 21-7 lead and the Browns came racing back with a pair of touchdowns to send the thing into overtime, this felt as if it could be something special. The thing for which these fans have been waiting for nearly 21 months. A win.
Every single turn that went the Browns' way made the stadium pulse. When Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell missed a 42-yard field goal attempt with 1:47 left in overtime, the crowd roared to life. When their heroes went three-and-out right after, it groaned a familiar groan. When Genard Avery sacked Ben Roethlisberger to force a fumble and Joe Schobert recovered it and ran it back to the Steelers' 14-yard-line -- the sixth Steelers turnover of the game! -- you'd have thought they won the Super Bowl.nike nfl jerseys wholesale cheap
This was unquestionably it, right? They had 36 seconds on the clock in field goal range, and a win doesn't get any closer than that. Players jumped and danced on the sideline. Fans held their heads in disbelief. The elusive victory was in sight.
But it was not to be. First, a penalty pushed the start of the drive to the 24-yard line. Then a run that lost a yard, a spike to stop the clock and the field goal team on the field as northern Ohio held its breath and ... T.J. Watt blocked the kick.
The air went out of the place, as you'd expect, but half-disappointment is an odd vibe in a stadium used to total disappointment. Fans cheered the players as they jogged off the field into the locker room, and it surely had been an effort worthy of praise. But still ... weird.
